


How To Be A Heartbreaker

by EmerialynCodeVenice



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bro is Abusive Asshole Who Forces Dirk/Roxy/Dave/Rose To Work For Him, But All Trying Best To Hold On To Each Other, Dysfunctional Family, Host Club/Nightclub, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Swearing, They're Slowly Going Insane, Trickster's Juju is Candy That Makes You Go Insane, Tricksters, Underage Drinking, sibling feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 04:14:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12697140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmerialynCodeVenice/pseuds/EmerialynCodeVenice
Summary: Inside the nightclub known as the Trickster’s Gambit, there is something even more alluring than the illegal candy. They’re known as the Jokers; the Prince, the Rogue, the Knight, and the Seer. On the floor, their rule is absolute, but off it… you’ll find the so-called rulers to be nothing more than pawns in a game. They try desperately to hold on, to hold on to their sanity and each other, but it’s hard to hold on to things that were broken in the first place.





	How To Be A Heartbreaker

**Author's Note:**

> Came up with this idea while listening to the Dirk Version of How To Be A Heartbreaker. Basically, the image that came to mind was Bro (as in Beta Bro, not Dirk) forcibly teaching his younger siblings (Dirk, Roxy, Dave, and Rose) how to manipulate and take advantage of people. And then, I added in that Bro sold Trickster's candy... and the idea basically exploded.

  _~ ~ ~_

_Rule Number **One** ,_

_Is That You Gotta Have **Fun** , _

_~ ~ ~_

“ _Damn it_ , Bro! They’re too young—”

“Why don’t you grow a spine, little man?”

Guards beside the rainbow-patterned couch where Dave and Rose sat side-by-side, overlooking the flashing multi-colored lights of a packed club below. The music pounded against the windows of the plush office but was muffled enough for the twins to hear the arguing of two very familiar males coming their way.

The door to the office burst opened, making both thirteen-year-old twins huddle closer together as their technical father— _though he preferred to be called “Bro”—_ strided through the door with their eighteen-year-old uncle and aunt— _but Dave and Rose preferred to call them their siblings, Dirk and Roxy—_ following close behind.

Bro paid Dirk’s protests and Roxy’s nervousness no mind, walking over to the twins on the couch and grinning crookedly down at them. “Hey guys, ready to see what your Bro does for work?”

Dirk, ashen-faced, stepped in front of Bro, blocking the twins from his sight. “ _No_ , you can’t—”

Dave gasped, his hand tightening around Rose’s, as Bro stood up and punched Dirk. The younger man had no time to react, hitting the jellybean-printed wall painfully. Dirk recovered quickly, but not fast enough as Bro grabbed his throat and roughly slammed him backward.

Roxy was blocked by a guard as she tried to step forward, looking on desperately as she watched her brother slowly be choked.

“I don’t know why you’re whining so much,” drawled Bro as he squeezed Dirk’s throat before giving a snort. “God knows I started you two earlier. You should be happy that I’ve listened to you whining over them for this long.”

Bro released Dirk, looking unimpressed as the latter collapsed to the floor and clutched at his chest to try and make his lungs work again properly. “Pathetic, a _Strider_ never shows weakness, but I suppose I’ll let it go this once.”

Dave reached out to help, but shrunk back when Bro’s gaze returned to him and Rose. The older man grinned, a demented gleam visible even with the shades on. “You’re going to like this.”

Bro snapped his fingers and the door to the office opened once more, this time with two guards dragging in an unremarkable brown hair man. The man shook uncontrollably, spasming at random intervals as he dragged his feet in an attempt to slow the guards down. When he looked up and saw Bro, it was like he had seen Satan himself.

"N-No!” shouted the man, whimpering as he tried to break free. “N-No more! I said I was _done_! I don’t want anymore!”

Dave and Rose looked on in confusion as Bro simply _tsked_. “No can do, man. You know how it goes, once you go Trickster, you can never go back.” 

“ _No!_ ”

Rose shivered, curling into Dave’s arms as they watched Bro shake his head. To him, it was as if the man before him was some sort of silly child who didn’t know what he was saying. Bro reached into one of his pockets and brought out a green and red swirled lollipop.

“Are you sure man? I’m sure it’d be a lot of _fun_ …”

At the sight of the candy, the man began to struggle even more. But it was no use. The guards held his body tighter and he began to cry. Bro laughed, waving the candy back and forth in front of the sobbing man. 

“C’mon, don’t bother wasting our time when you know how this ends. How it will _always_ end.”

Soon, the man’s struggles began to weaken as he watched the candy go back and forth. His eyes glazed over. Then, he actually _reached_ out for the candy he had so vehemently denied before. It was apparently hilarious for Bro and he looked over at Dave and Rose frightened expressions with a twisted smile.

“See? This is how it’s done. You find an idiot like this one, lure them in using any means necessary, make them take a lick, and _presto_.” He snapped his fingers. “Another happy customer.”

The guards released the slobbering man who began to beg for the lollipop.

Both Roxy and Dirk looked away in shame as Bro gave it to him, but Dave and Rose watched in sick fascination as the man transformed before their eyes with a single lick. His hair and clothes both become brighter as he laughed hysterically and began to ramble about how amazing it was.

Bro laughed and looked at Dave and Rose. “Now it’s your turn to have some _fun._ "

_~ ~ ~_

_But Baby When You’re **Done** ,_

_You Got To Be The First To **Run**. _

_~ ~ ~_

Dave and Rose’s first doses of Trickster Mode were inevitable after that initial introduction. Dirk and Roxy, anguished but resolute, told them that they had no choice but to start building up their resistance now. That they had barely held off Bro bringing the younger twins into the “family business” as long as they had. It might still be a few years until Bro had them actively working the floor of the Tricksters Gambit like Dirk and Roxy, but there was no pretending it wouldn’t happen anymore.

One lick.

That was all that Dirk was going to allow them to have. A sorter of starting point for them to build immunity and control so that they wouldn’t become mindless… addicts like that poor man in the office.

Dave and Rose had both agreed, thinking that they could handle it.

Dirk and Roxy had warned them both that it was unlike anything they knew. But it was only once they had taken a lick of that green and red lollipop and the world dissolved into color did they realize that they had no control over what would happen next.

Dave didn’t remember what it was like being a Trickster for the first time, only that coming off from it was _agony_. His first lucid memory was Rose kicking and screaming in Roxy’s grasp, desperately trying to reach for some imaginary sweet, with Dave himself struggling as Dirk held him down to the ground.

He remembered snarling like an animal, actually trying to _bite_ his brother in an effort to get more of that sugar. More of that _high_. A place where no problems existed, and he was free of any and all inhibitions to act however the hell he _pleased_. He had needed more. _More._

Dirk had dumped water on him. It had shocked Dave from his insanity enough to actually pay attention, his red-rimmed eyes staring up into pain-filled amber orbs. Dave wasn’t sure when Dirk had taken his shades off, but now that he had, Dave couldn’t find it in himself to look away.

_“Listen_ ,” said Dirk, squeezing Dave’s shoulders. “I know, okay? I _know_ how hard it is to resist. But you have to! Even if you tried to build up an immunity for a hundred years, it still wouldn’t do shit! That’s why you have to learn control. You’ll always be on that edge, ready to tip over, but you cannot _ever_ let yourself fall off. Do _not_ let yourself be taken over. _Okay_?”

Something fell on Dave’s face and it was then he realized that Dirk was crying. He didn’t know why his brother was crying, why he wasn’t happy, but he knew he didn’t like it.

Dave isn’t sure if it was Dirk’s words or the tears falling on his cheeks— _matched by those on Roxy’s face as she sobbed into the shoulder of a suddenly docile Rose—_ but he found himself nodding regardless.

From there, they were forced to take hot baths and drink what seemed like gallons of water. Dirk said there was no real cure for Trickster Mode, at least that he knew of, but sweating it out and diluting the sugar in their bloodstream seemed to help minutely. It would become routine to take baths still in their clothes so they could huddle close while sipping water. Not just for the training to become more immune and in control, but in later years when it wasn’t training anymore.

_~ ~ ~_

_Rule Number **Two** , _

_Just Don’t Get Attached To,_

_~ ~ ~_

From there, Dave and Rose became familiar with the actual floor of the underground host/nightclub known as the Trickster’s Gambit. It condoned nearly every illegal behavior and action, but was known in particular for its trade in an extremely rare spiral sucker.

The _Trickster’s Juju_.

One lick was said— _and Dave and Rose now know to be true—_ to put you on the most extreme, liberating ‘sugar high’ one could experience. Under its influence, called Trickster’s Mode, your clothes and appearance would change as all your inhibitions and reluctances disappeared.

It was a drug like no other, and _everyone_ wanted a taste of it.

Bro was the one who first introduced it to the black market and completely controlled its usage. Dave didn’t know where he had first gotten it, but Bro would strictly guide its trade outside the club while freely flaunting it for all to have inside. Part of Dirk and Roxy’s jobs were to… create more customers.

They weren’t wrong when they said that it was a drug like no other, because it really _wasn’t_. It created an almost immediate addiction, but, unlike most addictions, did not just destroy your physical health. It destroyed your _mind_. The longer you were subjected to its effects, the closer you would spin to insanity. While off it, you would do nothing but _crave_ it, even if you knew that you were just a hairline away from insanity, and come back to experience it more and to experience it _longer._

Give in to Trickster Mode long enough, and it would warp your mind completely to Bro’s whims. You would become his… puppet. From there, to the victims who could no longer survive without the cursed lollipops, Bro would take them.

From there… they wouldn’t be seen again.

When Dave and Rose learned that Dirk and Roxy helped to make more victims, they were appalled. They couldn’t understand why their siblings, who were good and protected them in every way, would _do_ such horrible things. Dirk had said nothing while Roxy tried to explain, but it wasn’t until Dave had scared off one of Dirk’s customers that he realized his mistake.

_~ ~ ~_

_Somebody You Could **Lose** ,_

_So Let Me Tell You…_

_~ ~ ~_

Apparently, the customer that Dave had driven off had been important to Bro’s plan in one way or another.

Dirk was punished.

_Severely_.

It took weeks for Dirk to fully recover from Bro’s beating, and during that time he had _tripled_ Roxy’s quota to the point that she had become hysteric from being on Trickster Mode for so long.

It had horrified the twins both, realizing that Dirk and Roxy had no choice in the matter. Bro had never been a… caring family member— _Dave could particularly attest to that, with all the scars on his arms and torso—_ but they hadn’t realized that he truly didn’t care _at all_ for them. The only thing they were to him were pawns for him to manipulate, _toys_ that he didn’t mind breaking if it came to that.

It was while crying over Dirk’s broken body that their older brother told the twins his and Roxy’s secret.

To be honest, he didn’t care about the victims as much as he should. Why? Because everything they did, he knew they did to protect Dave and Rose. It was wrong what they did, _so wrong_ , but Dirk… Dirk’s priorities were to keep his family safe. And Roxy was no different. There was no escaping Bro, at least not yet, so… until then, they would have to manage.  

He made them promise, over his body that wouldn’t move properly, he made them promise to close their hearts. To only care about the four of them. To never let anyone else be able to affect them because it would only tear them apart on the inside. It was okay if the world thought of them as monsters, because they would always have each other.

No matter _what_ happened, they would always be there for one another. _Okay?_

Dave and Rose promised.

_~ ~ ~_

_This Is How To Be A **Heartbreaker** , _

_Boys, They Like A Little **Danger** , _

_~ ~ ~_

The next few years blurred in a mix of insanity and color as Dave and Rose’s control grew. But even as their control grew, they only descended deeper into the dark world that Bro had created. It was a horrifying place, not meant for the eyes of anyone. Nonetheless children.

Dirk and Roxy tried to protect them as much as possible, but Dave and Rose knew that they had been doomed from the moment they had been born. There was nothing they could do to escape, but it wasn’t long before they stopped actively looking, brokenly content to live this life as long as they were together. They knew that Dirk, in particular, was still trying his best to find a way out for them, but Dave and Rose knew the truth. There was no escaping this hell.

Once you go Trickster… _there was no going back_.

And, so, they took Dirk’s words to heart, keeping themselves from feeling pity for the victims that walked through the doors of the Trickster’s Gambit.

_~ ~ ~_

_We’ll Get Him Falling For A **Stranger** , _

_A **Player** ,_

_~ ~ ~_

They didn’t have time to feel pity. Too worried— _too sickeningly fascinated—_ as they watched Dirk and Roxy transform into such beautiful but terrifying creatures. They were absolute professionals on the floor, going around the club and enthralling all that could see them.

Dirk’s hair would change to a bright red, an orange soda can somehow hanging off from the left side of his head as orange swirls colored his cheeks. Had any other person been wearing what Dirk was wearing, they would have looked ridiculous, but Dirk somehow managed to look attractive and even _cool_ in bright orange suspenders, striped pants, a deep blue shirt with some random hat, and striped hand-warmers.

Roxy’s blonde hair turned from its usual platinum blonde to curly teal locks, a stick of cotton-candy sticking from her hair as she paraded around in a tight, bright yellow shirt and green skirt that showed every curve she had to give. And, though she had striped arm and leg warmers, the lack of skin only seemed to drive her customers even wilder.

Individually, they were known as the Prince of Hearts and the Rogue of Voice— _the former was easily explainable as Dirk’s ability to enthrall everyone in the room regardless of gender while the latter had gotten her nickname from her ability to procure anything the customer desired—_ and together they were Trickster Twins. So many of their acts played off of one another that the patrons, despite not knowing their actual relation, had deemed them as the undisputed rulers of the Trickster’s Gambit.

And it was true. On the floor, they were invincible.

_~ ~ ~_

_Singing I Lo-Lo- **Love** You… _

_~ ~ ~_

But behind closed doors, they fell apart.

More and more, the strain of being on Trickster’s Mode, even with Dirk’s countermeasures and Roxy’s precise calculations on how long they could stand it, was taking a toll on them.

Dirk only became colder and colder, an obviously desperate attempt for control as he locked down his emotions both on and off Tricksters Mode. He was so afraid of losing control that the amount of times he let it slip around his siblings fell more and more.

Roxy was the opposite, showing even _more_ emotion when off the influence. Her ability to restrict her already feeling and expressive nature was waning, her mind becoming more muddled and deluded. Eventually, she couldn’t handle it anymore and began to drink. It led to vicious arguments with Dirk from behind closed doors— _not that it mattered, Dave and Rose heard anyway—_ with words such as _“same as your sister”_ and _“adding another addiction”_ flying from the walls.

They knew that Dirk was talking about Dave and Rose’s mother, Roxanne, and Roxy’s biological sister who had been Bro’s… lover. She had died from overdosing and binge drinking before the twins could even remember her, leading Dirk and Roxy, who weren’t even ten at the time, to pick up the slack— _cause there was no way in hell Bro was going to—_ and raise them in her place _._ While they didn’t really care about the woman who hadn’t been around long— _or properly—_ enough to be considered a parent, they were scared that Roxy would one day go the same way.

Dave was fifteen when he suggested that he and Rose start working the floor. Bro had agreed to wait until their sixteenth birthday to start working them, but both twins were terrified at what their siblings were becoming.

It was the first time that Dirk had lost his temper at them. He had trashed his room— _Roxy, who had been sleeping on his bed, awoke at the sound, but had been in such an intoxicated state that all she could do was lay there—_ screaming that they had no idea what they were asking. That didn’t they _see_ that Dirk and Roxy were doing their damn best to keep them away from this _poison_ as long as possible!?

_It was the first time that Dave ever thought Dirk looked like Bro._

_~ ~ ~_

_( **At Least I Think I Do** )_

_~ ~ ~_

It only took a few moments of their fear showing through for Dirk to snap out of it, dropping to his _knees_ as he apologized profusely. He swore that he would never hurt them, that he was sorry for yelling, that he was wrong, it wasn’t their fault, that he was just worried, that it wasn’t fair they had to deal with this, and could they _please_ _forgive him?_

_~ ~ ~_

_Cause I Lo-Lo- **Love** You… _

_~ ~ ~_

And, pretending they had never been afraid, Dave and Rose had agreed. Easily in fact. Because, no matter what, they loved Dirk and Roxy.

Even if it meant being trapped in this Bro’s perfectly designed hell, they would never abandon or stop loving their older brother and sister.

They promised.

_~ ~ ~_

_Rule Number **Three** , _

_Wear Your **Heart** On Your Cheek,_

_~ ~ ~_

Their sixteenth birthday came all too quickly, and Dave’s clearest memory of it was looking at Rose’s transformed self. They had been on Trickster’s Mode many times, but this seemed to be the first time— _the most important time—_ and Dave was determined to stay completely in control and not miss anything.

Rose’s hair had been dyed a minty-green, her hair-band becoming a sort of cookie as flecks of chocolate rested in random intervals along her hairline. Like Roxy, she wore a shirt and skirt combo, but this time reflecting respectively in bright blue and pink. Pink swirls rested on her cheeks as she stared at Dave.  

It was then that Rose had pointed out Dave’s self in the mirror. They were in one of the many private rooms in the Trickster’s Gambit and each was equipped with mirrors so that users could see their transformation first-hand.

Dave’s hair had turned green, a deeper, a clay-like color in comparison to Rose’s mint. There was a strawberry sticking from his hair and, below his hairline, his shades had become heart-shaped. There were minty green-swirls on his face as his shirt and pants had both changed to reflect a bright pink and yellow-striped theme.

Despite all their preparation, their first night on the floor was horrible. Not because they failed, oh no, or that Dirk and Roxy hadn’t been obsessively watching them… it was horrible because they had their _first customers_.

It hadn’t taken much to reel them in, a curious high-school duo that had snuck out for the night to go to the infamous underground club to try the so-called Trickster’s Juju. Dave and Rose had barely needed to do anything before the teenagers had taken their first lick and transformed, going wild under the influence for the first time.

_~ ~ ~_

_But **Never** on your Sleeve,_

~ ~ ~ 

Rose hadn’t been able to take it, breaking down in a back room as she managed express her sorrow despite being in Trickster’s Mode. She had cried about how much she hated herself, how much she hated that stupid spiral sucker, how much she hated the Trickster’s Gambit, how much she hated _Bro_.

_~ ~ ~_

_Unless You Want To Taste **Defeat** … _

_~ ~ ~_

Bro caught them like that, Dave with his arms around Rose as she cried bitter tears.

Before either could do anything, Bro had slapped her. It left a deep red imprint.

It was the first time that he had touched either of the girls. Dirk and Dave had no such luxury, but there had been this twisted sense of security that Bro wouldn’t stoop so low as to hit Roxy and Rose. The loss of that small condolence had stunned them both, the fear for their biological father twisting even deeper.

Bro told her to stop pitying the customers, that they knew what they were doing and knew exactly what they were getting. Beyond that, they were nothing more than a profit. So, either she had to get over it, or she would find out _exactly_ where those who lost all control went…

And because there was nothing else they could do, the twins nodded without a word and returned to the floor. 

_~ ~ ~_

_Rule Number **Four,**_

_Gotta Be Looking **Pure** , _

_~ ~ ~_

Bro didn’t just send the four of them out to do their own thing on the floor. He also had Special Events to further work up the crowd and gain business. The events varied from singing to… games of different types, but one of the biggest money earners was the _Auction_.

It was where the Four Jokers— _as the four of them were beginning to get known as when the crowd recognized the obvious care Dirk and Roxy had for Dave and Rose—_ were auctioned off to high-paying customers to… spend the evening with. It was a small consolation that Bro had a rule that you didn’t have to sleep with whoever you were auctioned off to, because, if said customer went away unhappy in _any way_ … well, let’s just say the customer wouldn’t be the one paying in the end.  

Tonight, it was the Rogue and the Seer’s turn to be auctioned off. The crowd was bigger than ever and going wild as Roxy giggled and sent flirtatious kisses to the audience. Rose was working her part as well, but even in Trickster’s Mode she could feel nothing but terror as she watched Roxy continue to blow kisses and laugh at nothing in particular; eyes glazed over.

Every time Roxy went on Trickster Mode, Rose always wondered if it would be the last time she would see the person she knew as her sister. If the race to taking over Roxy’s mind would be won by the alcohol that had taken their mother or by the Trickster’s Juju that Bro readily supplied.

Even as Rose smiled and twirled like a bimbo, she wasn’t thinking about whatever despicable character she would have to entertain for the evening. No, the only worry she could muster up while on Trickster’s Mode was for her sister. If the insanity would finally take her, if this would be the last time she saw _Roxy—_

_~ ~ ~_

_Kiss Him Goodbye At the Door,_

_And Leave Him Wanting **More** ,_

_~ ~ ~_

Rose swallowed, her smile almost cracking as Roxy cheered as she was sold off and scurried down the steps to one of the backrooms with the winner. She didn’t look back once at Rose, seemingly oblivious as the crowd grew louder. And louder.

_~ ~ ~_

**_More_ **

_~ ~ ~_

_And louder._

_~ ~ ~_

_This Is How To Be A **Heartbreaker** , _

_Boys, They Like A Little **Danger** , _

_~ ~ ~_

Years pass in similar fashion as Rose and Dave become just as high in demand as Roxy and Dirk, enthralling and seducing the crowd as they pass out flirtations and spiral suckers in equal measure. 

They were known as the Knight of Time and Seer of Light and, like their older siblings, were rulers of Trickster’s Gambit in near every sense of the word.

_~ ~ ~_

_We’ll Get Him Falling For A **Stranger** , _

_A **Player** ,_

_~ ~ ~_

But the crowd never saw. Never saw that their so-called _kings and queens_ were nothing more than pathetic slaves in changes, mere _puppets_ to Bro’s plans and manipulations.

The crowd never saw what they were hiding on the inside. The fear, the pain, the self-loathing. The nights spend throwing up their guts as their hands shook from the sugar permanently lining their blood as they wondered if this was it, if this would be the last time they were _themselves—_

_~ ~ ~_

_Singing I Lo-Lo- **Love** You… _

_~ ~ ~_

The crowd never saw them crying in each other’s laps and then turning around to scream each other for no reason. Only the four of them knew of the _pain_ that would boil over and, with no other outlet, would be unleashed upon each other for no other reason than the fact they were the only ones there. The only ones who would _listen_.

_~ ~ ~_

_( **At Least I Think I Do** ) _

_~ ~ ~_

Their fights were horrible. They needed it the outlet, desperately, but it only continued to destroy them from the inside out. They loved each other, dearly, but a part of them… a part of them resented each other for existing.

A part of them thinking, _whispering_ … if only _they_ didn’t _exist_. _They_ being Dirk, Roxy, Dave, and Rose, minus whoever was thinking this traitorous thought. Thinking that, if they weren’t around, then… then maybe that odd one out could have been free. That, maybe, just maybe, had they been alone, they would have been able to _escape all of this!_

_~ ~ ~_

_Cause I Lo-Lo- **Love** You… _

_~ ~ ~_

But they did exist. None of them knew what they would do if they didn’t have each other. Even if Bro had never brought them into this business, they knew, instinctively, that they would have never survived without one another.

And so, they apologized, always promising that they would never fight again…

_~ ~ ~_

_We Do **Whatever** It Will Take, _

_Cause We Don’t Want,_

_~ ~ ~_

_…_ but knowing it to be empty lies.

Their fights transformed, no longer just being about the Trickster’s Gambit and their pain but to more _personal_ topics. Such as Roxy’s drinking, or Dirk’s increasingly controlling nature.

It was especially bad whenever it was between Dave and Dirk.

_~ ~ ~_

_We Don’t Want Our **Hearts** To **Break** …_

_In **Two** …_

_~ ~ ~_

“ _Damn it, Dirk_ , just _get off it_!” screamed eighteen-year-old Dave, throwing the vase at the other’s head and watching it _shatter_ against the wall of the back room. “It’s not a big deal—”

“It _is_ a big deal!” shouted Dirk, now twenty-three-years-old, dodging as Dave threw a bottle of alcohol at him. “You can’t just _not text_ us! We have to know where you are—”

“ _We!?_ ” Dave scoffed incredulously, gesturing wildly to where Roxy laid passed out on the couch, her head in Rose’s lap as the younger sister stroked her hair and watched the proceedings with a blank expression. “Roxy and Rose _both_ understand that I just have to get away for a while, that I—”

“I know,” said Dirk, an almost pleading expression on his face. Not that Dave would know, he had barely seen any emotion from Dirk for _years_. “I know it’s hard, but I have to know what you’re doing. You don’t understand, Bro could—”

“What could he do!?” asked Dave hysterically. “What could he _possibly_ do that he hasn’t already done!? What hasn’t he already taken from us? And why _would_ he? We do what he says! We don’t argue when he gives us those damn suckers. We don’t argue when he sells us off like cattle. We’re his good little _puppets_!”

“Dave, don’t call yourself—”

Dave screamed, falling to his knees as he just wished for this to _stop_. “Don’t tell me what to say! Don’t tell me what to _think_! If you try, then you’re even _worse than Bro!_ ”

_~ ~ ~_

_So It’s Better To Be **Fake** , _

_Can’t Risk **Losing** ,_

_~ ~ ~_

Dave noticed it was silent before anything. It was then, with his head cradled in his arms, that he realized what he had said. His eyes widened as he went over the words in horror. _Had he really said that?_

How could he? How could he say such a thing? Especially to _him_. His technical uncle but brother and parent in every sense of the word. He didn’t need to take care of Dave and Rose, had been a mere child when he had started and, since then, had never stopped. Dave could spend _eternity_ counting up all the ways that he was as opposite from Bro as could _be_. He fed and sheltered them and, even when he could no longer protect them from Bro’s direct wrath, did everything in his power to strengthen them and give them good lives. This man was, without a doubt, the greatest man in the world.

So, there was that question again…

Had Dave really said such a thing to _Dirk?_

He quickly looked up. He wanted to apologize, wanted to cut his tongue out so that he could never say such horrible things again, but the look on Dirk’s face stopped him.

Despite being in his early twenties, the man before Dave had never looked so old. So tired, emotionally and physically exhausted and looking as if a simple breeze could knock him over. It was horrible. Dave knew that Dirk wasn’t invincible, knew logically that he couldn’t be, but it was difficult to accept when Dirk just kept on giving and giving and _giving._

To see this man… his _brother_ so defeated by something Dave had said…

_Dave knew, of all the terrible things he had done, that this was the very worst yet._

“I know,” said Dirk quietly, raising a hand when Dave tried to interrupt. “I… know that I’ve failed you, and I keep on failing you. I know you hate how suffocating I am, how horrible it is when Bro has already taken so much from you both… but I…”

Dirk sighed, taking his shades off and staring with pain-filled amber eyes. It jolted Dave’s memories, bringing him back to the first time he and Rose had tried the Trickster’s Juju and Dirk had first spoken to him about control.

“But I can’t lose you,” pleaded Dirk, emotion finally shining through. “Please, Dave, _don’t make me lose any of you._ ”

Dave wanted to interrupt, to say that Dirk should worry about himself, or Roxy and Rose— _but not me, not a person who was terrible and ungrateful enough to say such unforgivable words—_ but was stunned as Dirk walked forward and took him into his arms.

_~ ~ ~_

_In **Love** Again, Babe. _

_~ ~ ~_

Dave was numb, wondering when was the last time that Dirk had initiated physical affection, before giving into the warmth and burying his face into Dirk’s shoulder. If he was crying, Dirk didn’t say anything, only raising a hand up to flatten Dave’s hair.

Dave’s breath hitched, and he knew for sure that he was crying now as he sobbed into Dirk’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Dave,” whispered Dirk, holding him tightly. “I promise, I’ll get you out. I’ll get you, Roxy, and Rose out, so, please, can you put up with me for a while longer?”

Dave wanted to ask— _what about you Dirk? If we ever escape, you’re coming too, right?—_ but was too choking too hard on his breath to be able to form the words.

“Okay, Dave?” asked Dirk again.

And, because he could do nothing else, Dave nodded.

_~ ~ ~_

_This Is How To Be A **Heartbreaker** , _

_Boys, They Like A Little **Danger**!  _

_~ ~ ~_

And so, they continued to pretend.

Continued to act like nothing was wrong as they entertained the crows and lured innocent souls to insanity via Trickster’s Mode.

_~ ~ ~_

_We’ll Get Him Falling For A **Stranger** , _

_A **Player**_

_~ ~ ~_

One they stepped out on to the floor, they were no longer themselves.

They were the Prince, the Rogue, the Knight, and the Seer; the Four Jokers of Trickster’s Gambit that spread joy and always had fun no matter what.

_~ ~ ~_

_Singing I Lo-Lo-Love You…_

_~ ~ ~_

No matter what…

_The Prince showed the new arrivals to their seat while Rogue procured them drinks, the Knight and the Seer coming afterward to further enthrall the visitors and easily convince them to come again with wide, happy smiles._

_  
~ ~ ~_

_Cause I Lo-Lo-Love You…_

_~ ~ ~_

_The visitors were handed the Trickster’s Juju and, a moment later, needed no more entertainment as they were filled with joy and hilarity. It was a good thing too, lest they see the slight crack to their entertainer’s smiles as they transform._

**No matter what.**

_~ ~ ~_

_( **At Least I Think I Do** ) _

_~ ~ ~_

**Author's Note:**

> So, there we go! Happy ending, am I right? Haha, like I said before, this could technically stand alone but I already have ideas for a full-length story in this Universe. Tell me what you think!


End file.
